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Sichuan

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Sichuan is a large province located in southwestern China.

Koppen-Geiger Map v2 CHN Sichuan 1991–2020
Koppen-Geiger Map v2 CHN Sichuan 1991–2020

It sits within the Sichuan Basin and near the Tibetan Plateau. The Jinsha River flows along its western edge. To the north lie the Daba Mountains. To the south is the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau. Many different places surround this province. It neighbors Qinghai and Gansu to the north. Shaanxi and Chongqing are to the east. Guizhou and Yunnan sit to the south. Tibet is located to the west.

Sichuanese in China
Sichuanese in China

The capital city is Chengdu. About 83 million people live in Sichuan.

Many interesting things happen in this region. The people speak special dialects of Mandarin Chinese. Sichuan is also very famous for its food.

Hot Pot
Hot Pot

Many dishes use the Sichuan pepper. This pepper has a unique, numbing flavor. You might try Kung Pao chicken or mapo tofu.

Chengdu-pandas-d10
Chengdu-pandas-d10

You can also visit many panda stations here. The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding is a large reserve. These creatures are a very special part of the area.

Sichuan has a very long history. Long ago, the kingdoms of Ba and Shu lived here.

三星堆出土青铜大立人像, 2017-09-17
三星堆出土青铜大立人像, 2017-09-17

Archaeologists found amazing bronze items at a site called Sanxingdui. They also found gold and jade artifacts there.

太阳神鸟金箔片, 2017-09-17
太阳神鸟金箔片, 2017-09-17

In the year 221, Liu Bei founded the kingdom of Shu Han. Chengdu served as its capital city. Later, during the Tang dynasty, the famous poet Du Fu lived here. In the year 1023, Chengdu issued the first true paper money in history.

This province has faced many changes over time. During the 17th century, a rebellion and a conquest caused great trouble. In the 1940s, Chongqing served as a temporary capital for China.

Japanese bombing chinese main road
Japanese bombing chinese main road

The city was heavily bombed during World War II. Later, the area was divided into four parts from 1949 to 1952. Chongqing was eventually separated from Sichuan in 1997. The province also dealt with the Great Chinese Famine between 1959 and 1961.

Today, Sichuan is a very important place for business. It has the largest economy in western China.

Tianfu Financial Center 2
Tianfu Financial Center 2

It is also the 6th-largest provincial economy in all of China. In 2021, its nominal GDP was about $847.68 billion. This amount was larger than the economy of Turkey.

IFS Chengdu logo and Tower 2
IFS Chengdu logo and Tower 2

If Sichuan were its own country, it would be the 18th-largest economy. It would also be the 19th-most populous country in the world.

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🖼️ Images & Media (19)
File:三星堆出土青铜大立人像, 2017-09-17.jpg
三星堆出土青铜大立人像, 2017-09-17.jpg
File:太阳神鸟金箔片, 2017-09-17.jpg
太阳神鸟金箔片, 2017-09-17.jpg
File:Gao Yi Que2.jpg
Gao Yi Que2.jpg
File:Warlords in 194.jpg
Warlords in 194.jpg
File:Leshan Giant Buddha (2).jpg
Leshan Giant Buddha (2).jpg
File:"Suchuen, Imperii Sinarum provincia sexta. " (22065652598).jpg
"Suchuen, Imperii Sinarum provincia...
File:Japanese bombing chinese main road.jpg
Japanese bombing chinese main road.jpg
File:Chengdu-pandas-d10.jpg
Chengdu-pandas-d10.jpg
File:Koppen-Geiger Map v2 CHN Sichuan 1991–2020.svg
Koppen-Geiger Map v2 CHN Sichuan 1991–2020.svg
File:CSK181.jpg
CSK181.jpg
File:IFS Chengdu logo and Tower 2.jpg
IFS Chengdu logo and Tower 2.jpg
File:Tianfu Financial Center 2.jpg
Tianfu Financial Center 2.jpg

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